


Embrasses-moi

by snarkycaptain13



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-09
Updated: 2013-01-09
Packaged: 2017-11-24 08:34:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/632487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkycaptain13/pseuds/snarkycaptain13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Danny's scoring drought starts to take a toll on him, Claude takes notice and decides to do something about it. The only thing stopping him is the awkward tension between them since he moved out last year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Embrasses-moi

**Author's Note:**

> All I wanted to write was Danny and Claude and slow, passionate lovemaking. Somehow it became 7000 words with angst, angst, and more angst. It's probably my first really angsty work, so I hope this is suitable for any readers out there. 
> 
> These events did not happen. Please do not mix up actual events with what goes on in this story. My imagination gets the best of me.

March 11th, 2012

An ice hockey game just came to a close in Newark, New Jersey. The final score: New Jersey Devils 4, Philadelphia Flyers 1. It’s the first loss of the month for the Flyers but it stings nonetheless. The only player on the team who scored was none other than Claude Giroux, making it a total of 25 goals so far this season.

This also marks the 23rd game in a row that Danny Brière could not get one past the goaltender. He has managed to notch a few assists, but now the pressure was on to finally end this drought. Everyone on the team can tell it’s wearing him out and as much as the guys can help him, Danny is the answer to all his problems. Everybody, but none more than himself, is eager to see Danny end the night with a goal next to his name on the score sheet.

If it’s possible, however, maybe Claude wants that to happen more than Danny does.

Claude is riding the high life; he’s the team’s star player, the guy that everyone goes to for game tactics, and should be reveling in the perks of being one of the NHL’s top stars of the league, but it’s tearing him apart to see Danny like this, especially after what happened between them last year.

Yes, they are still great friends but it hasn’t been the same since Claude moved out, vague reasons why still holding that wedge between them. The truth was that Claude panicked; he realized just how much he came to care for Danny and his children, and knowing that he possibly loved his housemate frightened him into leaving once the summer hit. He packed his bags, had a distressing talk with the boys, and a severely heartbreaking talk with Danny where Claude gave the excuse ‘The sex was great but maybe we shouldn’t see each other for a while.’ Things never were quite alright between them but that didn’t diminish Claude’s feelings for the other man.

It is for that reason Claude noticed Danny acting more glum than usual on the train ride back from Newark. He watched as Danny waved off anyone wanting to take him out for a drink to lighten the mood and went home with a downcast look on his face. Claude didn’t say anything about it, but it was bothering him that he wasn’t doing anything to ease Danny’s obvious burden. He went home to his apartment with Brayden and the look on Danny’s face still burned in the back of his mind.

He couldn’t stay here; he had to go over to Danny’s.

“Hey Bray, I’m heading out for a bit. Don’t stay up for me,” Claude shouted as he pulled a coat on.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Brayden yelled from his room. “Keep the volume down next time you bring someone home with you. I actually want to sleep before practice tomorrow!“

Claude had no reply to that and walked out the door with a small chuckle and a roll of his eyes. He got to his car quickly and pealed out of the lot as fast as he could.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When he finally arrived at Danny’s house, Claude realized that he didn’t have the slightest idea of what he could possibly do to help Danny feel better. Just talking wouldn’t do the trick, especially since it could lead into things that he’d rather not bring up. Frustrated, he turned off his car and quickly stepped out into the dark street. The only things he could think of that could help Danny relax would be giving him a massage, a weekend away from the team, or post coital bed talk. He ignored the last option and went with the massage idea since it was the only plausible choice.

Dismissing any sense of embarrassment because of his plan, Claude sauntered up to the door of the house he used to call home and knocked twice. Danny opened the door in less than a minute, wearing baggy sweats and a faded t-shirt, along with a puzzled look.

“Hi, Claude,” he said with a small smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Uh, hey, um,” Claude stammered, quickly losing his nerve at the sight of the raven haired man. “I was just around the area so I decided to stop by for a quick visit before heading back in for the night.”

Danny peered at him, seeing through his ruse. He crossed his arms before asking, “What were you doing in the neighborhood at midnight?”

A nervous chuckle escaped Claude’s mouth before averting his eyes. “Okay, so I wanted to make sure you were alright. You didn’t look too happy when you left.” ‘I’m kind of worried,’ is what Claude didn’t say. ‘I don’t like seeing you like this,’ is what he wanted to say.

“Oh, well uh,” Danny stumbled over his words. His shoulders gave a jerky shrug and he continued, “I’m fine, a little tired, but fine.”

Claude squinted his eyes because he knew what that shrug meant. Danny always did that when he was lying about something, even if it was small one.

“No, you’re not. Why can’t you just tell me?” Danny diverted his gaze away and Claude let out of an exasperated sigh. “Nevermind… just, forget I asked okay? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Wait, Claude,” Danny said as Claude turned to leave. “I, shoot…” He laughed when he realized they were still on his doorstep. “Could you come in? You don’t have to be quiet; the boys are at Sylvie’s tonight and Sean went over to Reader’s.” He stepped back and gestured him into his home.

The other man nodded as he moved through the doorway. He shucked off his jacket to hang up and kicked off his shoes as Danny shut and locked the door behind him. Danny silently motioned him to the kitchen so they would have somewhere to sit, to which Claude was grateful. He’d rather talk to Danny in there instead of the couch where discussions got extremely comfortable much faster than intended.

“Want something to drink? All out of beer I’m afraid.”

“Water’s fine. I drove myself here, remember?”

Danny nodded as he filled two glasses and set them down at the table before sitting down. Claude thanked him for the drink and sat down across from him. An uncomfortable silence fell between them and Claude coughed to unsuccessfully distill any awkwardness.

“So, uh, how’ve you been?”

“Oh, uh, you know. Been busy, with the kids and all.”

“Ah, right.” This was not how Claude pictured this going, at all. He looked around the kitchen to find something to talk about when he noticed a new coffee machine sitting on the counter. “New coffee maker?”

Danny turned to see what he was talking about. “Oh, yeah. At Cam’s birthday party, one of his friends knocked it over and broke it. Had to get a new one or I’d never be awake in the morning.”

Claude tried swallowing past the lump in his throat. That was the party all the boys wanted him to go to but he couldn’t bear to face Danny since he had only moved out a month beforehand.

“The boys really missed you at that one. Kept asking me if you were coming but we couldn’t get a hold of you.” Claude looked away because he knew Danny wasn’t saying this to hurt him. Claude genuinely cared for the boys and missing that party hurt him more than it should have.

“I got caught up with something, you know how it is,” Claude mumbled. He looked up and said, “I’ll make it to the next one, promise. I’ll even wrap their presents this time instead of just handing it over.” That got Danny to laugh a little.

“Yeah… They really miss you. Sean tries to play video games with them but he can’t seem to ever beat ‘em. Carson keeps saying he needs a real opponent.”

“Heh, I don’t think Sean will ever beat those kids. It took me forever to beat just Cae at Super Mario.”

“That’s true. You should come over soon so they can stop pestering me for you to visit,” Danny offered with hope in his voice.

“Okay, I can do that.”

It grew quiet once more, this one lasting longer than the previous one. Claude was about to ask about how Sean’s been doing until Danny spoke up.

“That was a nice goal you had earlier.”

Claude looked at Danny to see if he was kidding or not. Danny’s gaze sat directly on him; face placid, lips ever so slightly curved up. Yeah, he was being serious.

“Thanks. I’m just glad Marty didn’t get another shutout.”

“Oh, yes. We didn’t need to let that happen,” the older man laughed.

“Yeah…” He was almost afraid to ask this next question. “How’re you holding up with the drought, though?” Claude asked tentatively.

Danny visibly stiffened at that. “It’s… daunting to say the least, but at least I’m getting assists,” he admitted. “It’ll happen soon, but it still wears me out that it’s been so long that I got one into the net.”

“You’re gonna do it, don’t worry. I know you can.”

The corners of Danny’s mouth twitched up into a faint grin. “Thank you, it’s relieving to hear that from you of all people.”

Claude’s throat tightened up, hoping he didn’t hear that brief glimmer of bitterness in his voice. “You’re welcome,” he said softly, looking at the cup in his hands.

Silence hung over them as the minutes ticked by. Eventually Danny moved to stretch his shoulders. Claude remembered his original plan to have Danny relaxed and cleared his throat to get Danny’s attention.

“Need help with that?”

Danny froze in mid-rotation and quirked an eyebrow. “Help with what?”

Claude lifted a finger to point at him. “Your shoulders. You look tense.”

“Oh, uh,” Danny stuttered. “You don’t need to that. I’m fine, really.”

“I’m not buying that,” Claude said. He pursed his lips and stared at the man across from him. “Come on.” The redhead stood up from the table and gestured to Danny. “Get up.”

Danny watched Claude stand there expectantly. “Why?”

Claude rolled his eyes and reached over to grasp his arm. “Just come on. You need to relax for a change and a massage should do the trick.” Danny reluctantly allowed Claude to guide him out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

“Uh Claude… Where are we going?”

“Your room,” he deadpanned.

Danny pulled himself out of Claude’s grip as they started to climb the steps. “Why are you taking me there? I can sit down here.” His pitch raised an octave from anxiety. Yeah, it seemed strange but Claude wasn’t planning on doing  _that_.

“It’ll be better if you’re laying down and the only place do it properly is on a flat surface. Don’t be such a wuss, you’re a hockey player for fuck’s sake.” He reached out and grabbed his arm again and made their way upstairs.

The master bedroom, Danny’s room, was the last door on the right and christ, Claude could never forget after all the nights he snuck down there when the boys were hopefully dead asleep. He glanced at his former room that Sean no doubt occupied now before heading down the hall.

Once the lights were turned on, Claude turned to Danny who looked downright petrified. Claude smirked before lightly punching him on the shoulder.

“You look like I’m taking you to your death sentence,” he tried to joke. He’s not gonna lie, that nervous knot in his stomach only wound tighter with each step. “I’m not gonna kill you, it’s just a favour.”

Danny swallowed and nodded. “Yeah I know, I’ve just been strung out lately,” he said with a glance at the floor.

“And that’s why I’m here. Now go lay down so I can do this.” Danny nodded again and moved towards the bed but Claude stopped him.

“Take your shirt off.”

Danny eyed at him suspiciously. “Why?”

“I’m giving you a massage, moron,” Claude stated with a roll of his eyes. “It’s easier to do it when you’re not wearing a shirt. Come on, don’t make me do this.”

Danny huffed and did as he was told. Claude climbed up onto the bed and didn’t think twice when he decided to straddle Danny’s thighs to give him better leverage. He felt Danny flinch slightly at the contact and tried to play it off as his imagination. No matter what, Claude was going to ensure Danny goes to bed carefree and relieved of any stress, even if it is only temporary. Rubbing his hands together, Claude placed both hands on Danny’s back and started to work at the tense muscle.

“Jesus Danny, you feel like a statue. Think you can be anymore wound up?”

“I haven’t been able to unwind recently,” Danny mumbled almost sheepishly. “Getting to events on time, keeping up on practice, making sure the boys are alright, trying to support the team…” he trailed off.

“Hey, no thinking of that. You’re not allowed to think of any of that tonight.”

“But-”

“No but’s,” Claude interjected sternly. “The boys are at Sylvie’s, we don’t have a game until tomorrow, and it’s a late start for practice tomorrow. Just lay there and let me give you the best damn back massage of your life.”

He heard what sounded like a scoff come from Danny but still pressed forward to rub at this one pesky lump at the base of his neck. Gradually, he felt the tight knots between his shoulder blades give away and become pliant under his fingertips. A sound of contentment filled the room as Claude proceeded to knead the stiff muscles of his shoulders.

A muffled gasp was heard when Claude rolled the skin between his palm and fingers. He remembered that Danny would always slouch into the sofa or seat whenever Claude gave him surprise shoulder massages. He guesses some things never really change once he hears the same hum seep into his ears, the same one Danny made when he closes his eyes and his face becomes utterly blissed out.

At some point, Danny’s rigid posture melded into the bed below him and easily moved with Claude’s hands. This was probably the most relaxed Danny had looked in the past couple of months, hell, since the hockey season had started back on October. Claude smiled to himself, feeling proud at this accomplishment.

“Would you look at that? I knew there was a person under all that stone,” Claude teased while lightly pinching the skin on his right side.

“Be quiet,” Danny murmured through closed lips. A comfortable silence grew between them before Danny said, “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. What are friends for?”

Danny grew quiet as Claude slowed down his movements. He had done what he came here to do, but he couldn’t bring himself to get up and leave.

“I’ve missed this,” Danny whispered into the pillow, barely audible to Claude. He almost didn’t hear it when Danny continued several seconds later with, “I’ve missed you.”

Claude’s throat almost closed up from those words. He bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying something stupid like he always does. Claude did a final check for any more knots and after he found none, his hands stopped at the apex of Danny’s arms. The urge to stroke the warm skin there came and passed since he firmly told himself that now was the time for him to make his exit.

“Okay, well,” he clapped his hands together to emphasize his point, “you seem plenty relaxed to me so uh, I think I’ll see myself out.” Claude moved to get up but as soon as placed one foot on the floor, Danny reached around and grabbed his wrist. Claude turned his head to look at Danny’s face. He bore an expression between desperation, apprehension, and indecisiveness.

“Danny, what’re you-”

“Wait,” Danny almost pleaded. “You don’t have to go yet.”

Claude tilted his head in confusion. He glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand that read 1:07. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome. I’m just gonna go.” Danny tightened his grip when Claude tried to pull away.

“Claude,” Danny insisted. He was using his ‘Dad’ voice as if he was speaking to one of his kids. Claude constantly fidgeted when Danny directed that tone towards him. “Don’t go.”

“But I-”

“Stay.” Claude almost heard the ‘please’ at the end of the request.

The redhead half sat on the bed, perplexed at the turn of events. He knew he should go since it takes a little over thirty minutes to get back to his apartment and he still felt uncomfortable about the unspoken things between him and Danny. Instead, he nodded and sat next to Danny. Tension seemed to fizzle between them as Danny reached out to hesitantly rest his hand on Claude’s shoulder.

“Claude.”

He turned to see Danny staring at him, eyes flickering between his eyes and lips.  Without thinking, Claude cupped his face and kissed him. Danny froze and Claude silently berated himself for doing that, pulling away to stand up.

“Fuck, I’m sorry. I gotta go-”

Claude was pulled back in by Danny grabbing the back of his head and mashing their lips together. Claude lightly moaned at the sudden surge of passion from the other man and quickly melted into the embrace. Eventually, Claude bit down on Danny’s lip when the dark haired man pulled Claude in closer.

They maneuvered themselves back onto the bed, Claude falling between Danny’s spread legs and holding himself over him. He placed his free hand into Danny’s hair and lightly pulled. Danny hummed at the sensation, making Claude’s lips tingle in the process. After a couple minutes, it grew too hot for Claude and he had to lean back to take off a layer, eliciting a whine from Danny at the loss of contact.

Claude finally pulled his shirt over his head, tossed it somewhere onto the floor behind them, and looked down to stare at the tussled form beneath him. Something clenched at his chest as memories flashed before his eyes of the previous times Claude managed to reduce this meticulous man to a thrashing heap of want and need. He closed his eyes and sighed; since when did he become this sentimental?

“Claude?”

He opened his eyes to see that Danny bore a concerned look. “Everything alright?”

Claude let out a quick laugh and shook him of his reverie. “Yeah.” Sturdy arms braced himself on either side of Danny’s shoulders before he leaned forward to brush his open mouth against the juncture between Danny’s neck and shoulder. “Just thinking.”

“Oh really? About?”

There was no response from the redhead as he decided to nip at the sensitive skin around Danny’s Adam’s apple. Danny’s breath hitched in surprise and Claude licked and kissed the delicate area, remembering that Danny liked being bit here as opposed to his earlobes. Vibrations tickled his lips as a soft moan formed at the back of the older man’s throat. Claude smiled ever so slightly before sucking gently on the tender flesh against him.

Danny had already started to pant at Claude’s ministrations, ever the sensitive type. Claude’s fingers itched to feel Danny all over, to leave lingering touches that he would continue to feel the next day. He ran a course hand up and down his arm, coaxing Danny into touching him back, but Danny’s fingers were wrapped into tight fists around the bunched of sheets. With a sensual swipe of his tongue down Danny’s sternum, Danny spasmed and released the cloth. He threw his head back and flung his arms out to anchor himself onto Claude’s shoulders, scrambling for purchase.

 “Please- I want-”

Claude moved down and pressed lithe kisses on Danny’s pectorals, across his abdomen, and down towards his sharp hipbones, downy hairs tickling his chin along the way. The fingers of his free hand trailed along his chest to catalogue every dip and ridge they encountered. He was going to slowly relearn this body that he had memorized over a year ago.

“It’s okay, Danny. I got you.” Claude drew up to his face and slotted their lips together for a long and languid kiss. His moved his right hand to cup his jaw and adjusted himself so he could grip the other man’s waist. Danny craned his neck forward to deepen the kiss, tongue licking out onto Claude’s lower lip. A whimper of protest emanated from him when Claude withdrew to tug off Danny’s pants. They easily slid off his slender hips and gently thudded on the ground next to the bed.

Eyeing the tent in the boxer briefs, Claude bent down to mouth the already damp cloth at the tip. He then pulled away to replace his hand for the sake of more friction. Danny made a stifled gasp and bucked forward, seeking more contact.

“Don’t tease me,” Danny breathed.

“But that takes the fun out of everything,” came the snarky response. Claude couldn’t help but press a little more with his palm, making Danny squirm below him.

“Fuck- just- keep going.”

Smirking, the ginger goaded, “Someone’s testy tonight.”

“Claude,” Danny said, using his ‘Dad’ voice again.

Claude rolled his eyes. “Sheesh, don’t get your panties in a knot.” He stuck his fingers under the waistband and dragged down just enough so Danny’s erection could come free.  Feeling another wave of heat pool between his thighs at the sight, Claude formed a loose fist at the base and stroked up.

Danny was beginning to fall apart at the seams as Claude continued to idly caress him, moans and mumbled words passing through his lips. When Claude swiped his thumb over the crown of his arousal, smearing the clear liquid that was pooled at the tip, Danny cried out in pleasure.

Keeping his leisurely pace, Claude bent down to suck the head into his mouth. Danny’s hips jerked up after Claude slid further down his length. Claude threw his arm over Danny’s pelvis to keep him still, not wanting things to pick up their pace. His tongue played along the long vein on the underside, remembering all the ways to bring Danny to begging and pleading for more.

He pulled off to give the tip one more lick to get the familiar sharp taste of Danny on his tongue. Claude rearranged himself so he could push his tongue into Danny’s slack mouth, reminding him what he tasted like. With a twist of his wrist on every upward stroke, Claude leaned back to get a look at Danny’s face. Danny’s eyes were drooped and hazy, already dark with carnal desire.

“F-faster,” he panted. “Claude, please.”

“Not yet,” Claude said. Danny growled in disagreement when Claude let go to slip off his shorts to join the sweats on the carpet. “Danny, where’s the lube?”

Danny pushed himself onto his elbows to look at Claude. “Where it’s always been,” he stated with a strange look in his eyes.

Relief and another nameless emotion washed over him once he understood what Danny meant. Claude stood up to fish under the mattress where Danny kept the bottle and any foils of condoms. They had to be in a place where the boys wouldn’t be able to find them if they went poking in their father’s room.

Placing both items on the mattress, Claude stripped himself of his jeans and boxers. He stepped out of the garments and crawled back up to meet Danny on the bed.

“Are you sure about this?” Claude had to know that Danny wanted this just as much as he did. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he took advantage of him at a time like this.

“Yes. More than anything,” Danny insisted, determination like steel in his eyes.

Claude nodded and settled himself between Danny’s legs. Nudging them wider with his elbow, Claude then opened the bottle of lube and slicked up three fingers. He looked up see Danny watching him, eyes lust blown, hair messy, cheeks flushed, and lips swollen. Two fingers swirled around Danny’s entrance when he gave an affirmative nod.

The first finger slipped in past the rim. Danny sighed in relief once the digit moved in and out of the tight channel, gradually loosening the hot muscle around it. His eyes fluttered shut when Claude took his thumb and started to rub his perineum. Claude recalled all the times he could unfurl Danny with just two or three fingers; Danny would push down onto his hand while Claude jerked him off and he would shout out with a silent cry as he reached his peak.

Danny canted his hips, wordlessly asking for the second finger. Claude obliged, meeting a little more resistance this time.

“Danny, you gotta relax for me,” Claude said calmly.

“I’m trying, it’s just- ah- it’s been a while,” Danny moaned. He wasn’t lying since he felt this way the first time they had ever tried anything.

In an attempt to distract him, Claude licked the soft skin of his inner thigh. He snuck his two fingers in the second he nipped on the delicate flesh. Danny started squirming the instant Claude kissed the red mark and massaged his inner walls. He twisted his fingers to stretch him open while also searching for that spot that completely brought Danny apart.

Danny convulsed as Claude rubbed his fingers over the raised bump. Claude did it again, gentler this time, but Danny arched off the bed, strangled groans replacing his previously shaky breath.

“ _Merde_ ,” Danny exhaled. “Oh, yes, oh my  _God_ ,” he moaned, drawing out the last syllable. He always had the habit of spewing words in English and French, most of the time incoherent when Claude hit one of Danny’s hot spots.

A third finger joined in widening Danny’s rim. It didn’t take long before Danny started babbling words that didn’t even sound like a proper language. Giving his prostate one last rub, Claude removed his hand, causing Danny to make a low whimper.

Before Claude could pick up a condom to roll on, Danny grabbed his arm just like he did before this all started.

“No.”

“It’s safer if I do though.”

“No,” Danny repeated firmly. “I want to feel you. I don’t want something in the way.” Despite his eyes hazy with lust, Danny was stubborn about making things go his way.

“Okay,” Claude nodded. “Okay, alright.” He reached for the lube instead and smeared a good amount over his aching dick. He’s been ignoring his own need since Danny’s wants came first, but he couldn’t help a few tugs to get some of the pressure off.

Propping himself up with one hand next to Danny’s shoulder, Claude then curled his index finger and thumb around his cock and guided himself to Danny’s hole, now red from the fingering, and pushed the first inch in. His head fell forward in a choked sob when he felt the familiar heat encase his throbbing member bit by bit.

“Christ, you- you feel,”  _amazing_  is what he wish he could say, “you’re so hot. So fucking tight.”

A throaty groan fell from Danny’s mouth as Claude buried himself deep inside him. “Ah, wait. I n-need a second,” Danny wheezed out through stuttered breaths. Claude vigorously nodded his head, incapable of forming words to respond.

Fuck, he didn’t realize how much he missed this until he felt every tremor ripple through Danny and into him. His body trembled from stopping himself from ramming into Danny; he needed to wait for him to be ready.

He knew he was alright when Danny’s breathing evened out. “Okay, okay. Please, move.” He moved his hands to grip Claude’s back and wrapped his legs around his waist to pull him closer.

Almost warily, Claude withdrew and shoved back in, relishing in the sounds Danny was making and the wave of ecstasy that bloomed from his groin and went all the way to his toes. He wanted this to last as long as possible so he forced himself to go a slow pace to the point where it almost hurt.

“Claude… Claude,” Danny begged. “More, I need you.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Claude leaned on his one side so he could place his hand on Danny’s face. “I’ve got you.”

“I know, I just- fuck- I need you to hurry up.” It never ceased to amaze Claude that Danny could still form decent sentences in such a state.

“Want- oh God-  _baiser_ , want you so much” Claude groaned. He missed this too much.

He missed the feel of Danny’s calloused hands over his body. He wished he could bottle up the scent that was simply Danny because nothing else was quite as unique. Ever since he moved out, no one else has been able to get off him like Danny did. He ached to hold Danny in his arms when they passed out after making love, because that’s what this is. Claude’s fucked several people, men and women, in the past year when he’s wanted it but nothing ever get rid of the itch like Danny did. Nobody truly compared to him.

Claude gradually sped up his tempo, turning the long rolls of his hips into shorter thrusts. He felt Danny reach up and cup the back of his head to pull him down into a bruising kiss that allowed very little air to breathe. Claude pressed his chest to Danny’s, desperately wanting to feel more of his skin.

“S’il vous…  _s’il te pla_ _Ît_ ,” Danny begged. “Claude, please, harder.”

His motions went into overdrive at the plea. Danny’s cock, trapped between their bellies, leaked precum when Claude managed to brush against Danny’s prostate. Danny writhed and bucked below him, so very close to falling over the edge.

“I- Claude- I’m, oh  _fuck_ ” Danny stuttered, muscles clenching around Claude’s dick giving the sign that he was very close.

“It’s alright,” Claude breathed. He pulled back to watch Danny when this happened. This was always his favourite part. “Just let go. Come on, for me.”

With one final thrust and rub against his cock with Claude’s stomach, Danny’s eyes dilated a fraction of a second before cumming. His dick spurted hot stripes between them and his whole body wracked with small tremors, hands spastically grabbing what they could reach on Claude’s back. He couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer as his mouth grew slack and his breath hitched with broken cries and grunts.

God, Claude loved it. He loved watching this man be overcome with sweet, sweet pleasure. If this wasn’t heaven, he didn’t know what it was. Danny became pliant in his arms once more, dick giving a feeble attempt to harden as Claude thrusted in his loosened hole. Claude was so close, almost completely delirious with the essence that is Danny.

“Je t’aime,” Claude gasped. “ _Mon dieu_ , je t’aime, je t’aime beaucoup.”

One, two, three, four more hard thrusts and he seized up. He buried his face into Danny’s shoulder and cried out as his orgasm shook him to his core, cock pulsing in sweet release. A litany of ‘ _ah, ah_ ’ fell from his mouth with each pulsation. He shook as Danny ran his hand through his hair, mouth pressed against his ear whispering endearments he couldn’t fully register.

After what felt like ages, Claude came down from his high and immersed himself in the afterglow. He tilted his chin to press his lips to Danny’s jaw, too blissed out to move. Danny turned his head to give him a proper kiss on the mouth. There was no heat, no urge to push further, just simple kissing. They broke apart for air to stare at one another.

Claude didn’t want to move but he could feel his cock softening in Danny. Unwilling to separate, Claude eased him out with the smallest amount of movement and flopped back down, partially laying on Danny’s chest and side. He was so worn out and could feel himself drifting off to sleep.

“Claude?” Danny murmured into Claude’s ear, lips almost tickling his earlobe.

“Hm?”

“Shouldn’t we clean up?” His words were slurred, a tell-tale sign that Danny was on the brink of sleep as well.

“Mmmm. Go to bed.” They could deal with the mess in the morning.

Danny mumbled something Claude couldn’t understand while moving around that made it more comfortable for them both. Claude wasn’t sure if he dreamt it or not but it sounded like Danny whispered, “Je t’aime aussi,” before warm darkness overtook him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Claude.”

A tired groan came the reply. He just wanted whoever was shaking him to stop.

“Claude, get up.”

The younger man grumbled as he took in his surroundings. He wasn’t in his bed at his apartment like he thought.

Last night really did happen. It wasn’t a dream.

A strange mix of anxiety and relief overcame him as he rolled over to see that Danny was leaning up on an elbow beside him under the covers.

“Come on. It’s 9:57. We should have already left for practice. Let’s go.” Danny was already getting up to clean the dried mess that was still on his stomach and between his thighs.

When Danny noticed that Claude hadn’t moved from where he sat on the bed, he stopped pulling on the jeans over his underwear.

“What?”

“Stop that.”

Danny finished pulling up his fly before fixing him with a confused stare. “Stop what?”

“You’re doing it again.” Claude crossed his arms before giving him a pointed look. “Cut it out.”

The brunette’s Adam’s apple bobbed when he gulped and looked away. He shrugged his shoulders before replying, “I, no I’m not.”

“Don’t give me that Danny.” Claude pushed the sheets off of him and got off the bed. “God, you always were a terrible liar. You’re freaking out, so why can’t you get it off your chest while I’m still here?”

“It’s not that easy. It’s never been easy and you know that.” Danny stared at Claude before turning to put a shirt on. “Look, can we talk about this later? We really need to get to practice before coach starts freaking out.” He walked out of the room before Claude could get a reply out. He shook his head as he pulled his clothes on and checked his phone to see that Brayden earned the best roommate award by already bringing his gear with him to practice since he never came home last night.

He was going to talk to Danny before the day was over because he knew it was not going to end well after what happened. He cursed when he went downstairs and read the note that said Danny already left. Claude locked up the house and ran out to his car to leave, mentally preparing himself for a discussion he was not ready for.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Danny, wait up.”

Claude finally caught him as he skated off the ice to go to the locker room. If he didn’t talk to him now, he’d lose his nerve and things would be even more awkward between them.

“Claude, I don’t think we should- hey, let me go!”

Danny was dragged by Claude into the nearest supply closet so they could get some privacy. Claude looked outside to see if anyone followed them and promptly locked the door behind him when the coast was clear.

“Claude, come on. Let me out of here.”

“No!” The sternness of his voice startled himself. “No. Not until you tell me why you were freaking out this morning.”

A twinge of annoyance flashed across Danny’s face before he looked away. “Do you even remember what you said last night?”

That wasn’t what Claude was expecting. “What of it?”

“You said you love me. Repeatedly.”

Panic gripped at Claude until he realized that there was silence between the two of them. He did say it but didn’t Danny say he loved him back?

“You were the one that replied back to it.”

“Yeah, that’s because I meant it but never said it before. Did you mean it? Or was the sex just really good for you?” Danny’s tone was layered with bitter anguish as he said this, face scrunched up in discomfort at the situation. “Is that all last night was for you? Just a good lay? Because if it was, then we don’t have anything to talk about.” He moved to walk out of the room before Claude grabbed his shoulder.

“Wait. Aren’t you even going to let me talk here?” Danny’s back was still to him, hand on the door. “Fuck, okay. If it isn’t already obvious, I still give a damn about you, alright? I regret moving out because that was one of the best years of my life, sex aside. I miss the boys, I miss the dogs, I miss waking up and having to make a cup of coffee just to coax you out of bed on a day off. Leaving was one of the dumbest mistakes I’ve ever made.”

“Then why did you have to move out?” Danny didn’t budge from his spot but he tilted his head ever so slightly. “Why did you have to leave?”

“I’m a fucking coward, that’s why.” He looked down at his skates while he spoke. “I realized just how much I care about you and it scares the shit out of me. So I ran because that’s all I know what to do.”

Danny let go of the doorknob and turned to face Claude. “You didn’t have to go. We could have talked about it.”

“And what? Have you deal with someone who believes they’re in love with their best friend and doesn’t know how to handle it?” Claude looked anywhere but at Danny’s face. Him confessing these thoughts scares him and all he wants to do is run and hide.

“It would have been okay because I meant what I said; I love you Claude, can’t you already see that?” He took one of Claude’s hands into his own and continued, “You didn’t have to move out. We could have done something else.”

“But I already fucked it up!” Claude shut his eyes and clenched his teeth. “I hurt you and the boys. What can I do to fix this?”

“You can start by visiting more. I’m sure the boys wouldn’t mind seeing you around again.”

“I-I don’t know Danny.”

“Hey, look at me.” He slowly lifted his head to look at Danny’s eyes, apprehensive but warm with affection. “Small steps. We can do this. If we got away with that whole year, what’s stopping us from doing it again?”

Claude’s gaze flickered from one eye to the other, contemplating Danny’s proposal. He has a point that Claude couldn’t deny. They managed sleeping together while living in the same house. It might take a while for them to get back on pace now that they aren’t living together but Claude trusted Danny. He nodded and gripped Danny’s hand. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

The older man smiled and said, “Good. Just one more thing.”

“And what’s that?”

Danny looked into Claude’s eyes and whispered, “Embrasses-moi,” and who was Claude to deny him? Their lips pressed together, unspoken promises laid bare between them. They kissed for what seemed like hours but only lasted minutes, and then broke apart for air. Claude rested his forehead against Danny’s and just breathed in and out. They were going to do this. Everything was going to get better.

He opened his eyes to see Danny looking into his. “We should get back before they get suspicious.”

Claude laughed and leaned in to kiss him again. “Yeah. You go first so. I’ll be there in a bit.”

Danny nodded and pulled away to walk back to the locker room. Claude counted to 20 before heading back. He looked to see that Danny already had taken off his jersey and padding, revealing all the marks he got from the game and Claude last night.

“Hey Danny, what happened to your neck?” A couple of the guys next to Scott Hartnell turned to see what he was talking about. Shit, Claude should have been more cautious about that one.

“Oh you know, got checked at the game and my padding rubbed against it in a bad way,” Danny quickly lied, accentuating it by his typical shrug. Claude ducked his head to hide his small smirk. Old habits do die hard.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

March 13th, 2012

Claude cheered from the bench as he watched Jakub Voracek collide with Danny into a crushing hug against the boards on the Devils’ end of the ice. The goal horn sounded and “DOOP” played on the speakers and almost everyone at the Wells Fargo Center jumped to their feet in celebration. The Flyers were up 3-0 with less than 5 minutes left of the third period.

The two teams retook their places at the faceoff circle to resume the game. Seconds passed until the announcer’s voice was heard over the PA system.

“Flyers goal scored by number forty-eight, Danny Brière!”

The arena shook with the roars of the crowd but no one could have been proud than Danny himself.

It was the twenty fourth game and he finally ended his goal drought.

As the game drew to a close and the Flyers retook the ice to congratulate each other on the win and shutout, Claude looked over at Danny who was busy having everyone applaud him for getting a goal tonight. When Danny turned his head in Claude’s direction, the smile on his face couldn’t get any wider. He nods his head in a silent thank you and spun around to clap another one of the guys on the back. Claude grinned and skated off towards the locker room, ready to face tomorrow’s challenge, knowing he didn’t have to face it alone anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> The original title was "Old Habits Die Hard" but after writing this, I realized that this can also be tied to a previous work of mine, "Bonne nuit mon amour." I guess that's why I named this "Embrasses-moi" to stick with the French titles. I'm not going to have the two works be part of a series or verse but it is entirely up to you if you want to keep the theme going between the two stories.
> 
> I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it!!!
> 
> Also, happy end of lockout everyone!!!!!!!


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